Chestnuts and Figs

It's fall

 and the chestnuts are falling.

The trees look prehistoric to me.

A disease killed out the native Chinquapin years ago.

Dad planted a few chestnuts.

He also planted figs which aren't supposed to grow in our climate.

Dad's love of figs began when he cowboy-ed in California. 

You had a great crop of figs this year, Dad.

Your chestnuts are plentiful, too.

The figs are far easier to pick

I wish you'd planted the chestnuts much further from the house, Dad.

Thanks.

Never Alone

Seems I'm never alone,

full sun nor shade.

 They gather to the pack leader

 or the one who feeds them...that's my guess.

They inspect my work

and keep a careful watch over me.

That paint bucket could have a hidden treat.  

You never know.

Finished outdoor table for zeroing sights with denim sandbags ready to use.

Rifle season is soon.

Deep Woods Spider Web

The sun shined off the web

and the owner ran like crazy.

Found the little lady hiding from me.

These weavers are always extremely ugly in my book.

Maybe that was their trade off for being able to weave so beautifully.

I'm glad spiders aren't as big as cattle.

Marcy's New Porches

Porches completed.  Now I have much clean up to do.

Marcy will enjoy the porch swing and watching Nature from either porch.

Just simple roofed porches with treated lumber and a ramp,

just in case we ever need one.

This has certainly confused the cats.

They're wondering where all their "cover" has gone.

Marcy said they're already enjoying the rails.

Tadpoles and Frogs

Marcy has tadpoles in her rain barrels and tubs.

She places sticks in the water so when they transform into frogs they can climb out safely. There are many kinds that raise here: Bull frogs, Leopard frogs,  Tree frogs and maybe more we don't know.

I was fortunate to see one emerging with a small tail still visible.

The tiny tree frog made my fingers look very large.

I believe it may be one of these.

They love this tall ornamental grass.

Warming or bug waiting?

Your guess is good as mine.

Sometimes there are more than one

of different sizes.

When dark comes they will raise their voices 

so large and loud they sound much bigger than they are.

I Grow Sad

when the butterflies wear out.

It's all part of the cycle of life.

Somewhere butterfly eggs wait for spring.

Not A Devoted Cat Person

Gasp!  Oh, the horror!!!!

But when my sister has such cute kittens I have to take a few pictures.

Purrrfect.

Not Worth A Load of Seed Ticks

It was a cooler day this morning but I was feeling a little under the weather.  I guess I got too hot the day before.  So I decided to stay in or rather Hubby TOLD me to stay in and rest.  He took off on the tractor.

He has been busy planting food plots for wildlife this winter.  He also wanted to bush hog (mow) the pastured land so the new grass would have a good start before winter.

I did some paper work after my head stopped hurting and my stomach settled.  I called the internet server to fix my wireless extender that they messed up (a complete story by itself). When that was resolved I decided to take Hubby a cool drink.

The dogs and I headed out.  Lizzy riding shotgun with me in the Gator and the others running free.  We could not hear the tractor anywhere.  So I drove and they ran with a joy only dogs can show.

We traveled up and down hills stopping to listen now and then.

We stopped to cool and get a drink at every watering hole while listening and looking for the Tractor Man.

It was warmer than we thought

 and the water saved us all.

All this trouble to take Tractor Man a cold drink! (Persimmon on top of can) I went places I haven't driven following the mowed brush. I headed down one hill and decided, nope, no way, not going down there cause I have to drive out. Stopped at the next pond to let the dogs cool again. Walked down to look at the water and felt something crawling on me...seed ticks!!!!  Too tiny even for a macro lens!!!  I tried to wash them off, swept some away with a cedar branch and headed home. Still no tractor sound.  Stopped at the creek and by this time my imagination had seed ticks all over me!  Tried once more to wash them off.

Went to the house. Took a shower and heard the tractor pulling in.

Where had he been??  That hill that I would not drive down has a dry pond at the bottom. He was down there removing grass seed from his radiator grill with the tractor turned off.

Hubby's not worth the misery of seed ticks. He laughed but now his imagination is feeling the crawl! 

Build It They Will Come

Life around and in a water garden.

You know you did good when every one wants a place.

Spider Time!!!!!

Lunch is a wrap!